The HLA starts

A new era begins this weekend

The new Hard captain wears the number 19.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The time has finally come on Friday! The new season of the Handball Liga Austria kicks off. A lot has happened at runners-up Hard and record champions Bregenz over the summer. The goal is clear: the championship title and the cup victory should return to the Ländle.

Following the retirement of legends Luca Raschle and Dominic Schmid, a new era begins on Friday. At the season opener on Friday against Vöslau (19), Nico Schnabl will lead Hard's handball team onto the pitch as captain for the first time. "It will be something very special for me personally," says the German, a constant in the previous season, who is already excited. Which ended with the disappointment of losing the final against Linz.

With the Lithuanian goalkeeper Lukas Gurskis as successor to Consti Möstl as handball player of the year in Austria, left-handed Matthias Hild (D) and the Icelander Tumi Runarsson (center back), three new legionnaires were signed, wing Samuel Wendel was brought home from the second German league (Konstanz). Ivan Horvat has reported fit in time.

Bregenz wants to learn from its mistakes
Bregenz has learned its lessons from the ultimately disappointing previous season with the clear quarter-final exit against Krems. "We should have rotated more, we don't want a mistake like that to happen again," says managing director Björn Tyrner. "The unfortunate European Cup exit has given us a kink!" And the burden of the European Championship for the Häusle/Mahr/Wagner trio also had a negative impact on the club.

There were only minor changes to the squad. Daniel Pinter, a promising Hungarian from the Veszprem school, has "run in", while ex-Harder Srdjan Predragovic, most recently in Graz, should guarantee more goalscoring threat. "We've experienced first-hand what it means when he has one of his days!" In two duels alone (HLA and Cup), he recently conceded 27 (!) goals to Bregenz. If the Serbian manages a similar feat in the Ländle dress at the opener on Saturday in the Graz Sportpark, everyone in Bregenz would be happy

Handball League Austria

1st round:
Friday: Hard - Vöslau (19), Bruck/Trofaiach - Westwien (19.30, live krone.tv). Saturday: Graz - Bregenz, Bärnbach/Köflach - Ferlach (19), Fivers - Schwaz (19.30), Krems - Linz (20.20, live ORF Sport Plus).